Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Locations

Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

The pediatric Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children is one of only a handful in the United States that performs autologous and allogeneic transplants accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT). We’re also recognized by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) as an affiliated center for matched unrelated donor transplants.

Support Services for Your Family

Nemours provides an array of support services to help your child and family throughout the entire journey. Our supportive care begins on the very first day we meet, and continues beyond treatment because at Nemours, your child and family become part of our own.

We Make You Feel Right at Home

At duPont Hospital for Children, we provide an environment where kids and families can find fun and normalcy during long-term hospital stays. Some of our amenities for blood and bone marrow patients and families include:

Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando

The Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando currently refers patients to our Jacksonville, Fla. location for blood and bone marrow transplants.

The pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program in Jacksonville is accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT) and represents a unique collaboration that includes Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic in Florida and Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville. The program is one of a handful in the country that performs autologous and allogeneic transplants, and is recognized by the National Marrow Donor Program as an affiliated center for matched unrelated donor transplants.

How Our Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Collaboration Works

Wolfson Children’s Hospital, connected by a sky walkway to our clinic, is where pediatric blood and bone marrow transplantation services are performed.

Support Services for Your Family

Nemours provides an array of support services to help your child and family throughout the entire journey. Our supportive care begins on the very first day we meet, and continues beyond treatment because at Nemours, your child and family become part of our own.

Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Jacksonville

The pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville is a unique collaboration with Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic in Florida and Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville. The program is one of a handful in the country that performs autologous and allogeneic transplants to have been recognized and accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT) for more than 10 years. We’re also recognized by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) as an affiliated center for matched unrelated donor transplants.

How Our Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Collaboration Works

Wolfson Children’s Hospital, connected by a sky walkway to our clinic, is where pediatric blood and bone marrow transplantation services are performed.

Support Services for Your Family

Nemours provides an array of support services to help your child and family throughout the entire journey. Our supportive care begins on the very first day we meet, and continues beyond treatment because at Nemours, your child and family become part of our own.

The pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program in Jacksonville is accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT) and represents a unique collaboration that includes Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic in Florida and Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville. The program is one of a handful in the country that performs autologous and allogeneic transplants, and is recognized by the National Marrow Donor Program as an affiliated center for matched unrelated donor transplants.

How Our Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Collaboration Works

Wolfson Children’s Hospital, connected by a sky walkway to our clinic, is where pediatric blood and bone marrow transplantation services are performed.

Support Services for Your Family

Nemours provides an array of support services to help your child and family throughout the entire journey. Our supportive care begins on the very first day we meet, and continues beyond treatment because at Nemours, your child and family become part of our own.

About Pediatric Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants

Brayton was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) when he was 4 months old and received a blood and bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment.

Orthopedists (bone specialists) and orthopedic surgeons at Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders make our pediatric orthopedics programs among largest and most widely respected in the United States — and across the globe. Along with our renowned oncologists (cancer doctors), hematologists (blood specialists) and researchers, we rank among the very best in the country for both pediatric orthopedics and cancer care (U.S. News & World Report named Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children one of the “Best Hospitals”).

Our combined expertise allows us to diagnose and treat common, rare and complex bone tumors in children — both malignant and benign.

How Pediatric Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants Work

Blood has three main cell types: red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (which fight infection) and platelets (which clot the blood). New blood cells (called “stem cells”) begin in the bone marrow — the red spongy material found inside the bones — and are released to the bloodstream when mature.

A blood and bone marrow transplant takes unhealthy stem cells out of the bone marrow and replaces them with healthy stem cells, with the intent to treat childhood cancers and nonmalignant blood and bone marrow diseases.

Types of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants in Children

There are three main types of pediatric blood and bone marrow transplant procedures based on who donates the healthy stem cells.

Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant

When the child is the donor, it’s called an “autologous bone marrow transplant” (or “autologous bone marrow rescue”). Healthy stem cells are either harvested from the child’s own bone marrow intravenously (“IV”), or collected from the child’s circulation (called “peripheral blood or apheresis”) and then reinserted after intensive treatment such as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy for childhood cancers and blood disorders. The primary goal of an autologous bone marrow transplant is to “rescue” a child from the effects of very high doses of chemotherapy.

Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant

When a parent, sibling or unrelated person donates genetically matched stem cells, it’s called an “allogeneic bone marrow transplant.” Similar to an autologous bone marrow transplant, a donor’s healthy stem cells are harvested from bone marrow or collected from peripheral blood.
Nemours is recognized by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) as an affiliated center for matched unrelated donor transplants, and by many insurance providers as a Center of Excellence.

Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant

When stem cells are taken from a newborn’s umbilical cord, it can be frozen and stored in a blood bank for a cord blood transplant. These stem cells are particularly effective because they mature quickly and are less likely to cause severe complications such as graft-host diseases.

What to Expect With a Pediatric Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Procedure

Pediatric blood and bone marrow transplants require very specialized care from the first visit and throughout treatment, recovery and beyond. Transplants typically take up to three weeks for planning and preparation, and six weeks of inpatient hospital care in special blood and bone marrow transplant units staffed by highly trained physicians and nurses.

About the Transplant Process

The process differs depending on the type of pediatric blood and bone marrow transplant procedure, the condition we’re treating and other factors, but you generally can expect the following:

transplantation (stem cells are given intravenously, like a blood transfusion, while your child watches TV, plays games, creates art or works with Child Life specialists)

engraftment (occurs when stem cells mature and begin to produce blood cells, which can take two to four weeks)

recovery (includes a month of inpatient hospital monitoring to anticipate or treat side effects or complications that may arise as the immune system strengthens)

transition (help transitioning your child and family throughout the process and from hospital care to home care)

follow-up (includes maintaining frequent outpatient or inpatient follow-up care during the crucial first 100-day post-transplant mark, and also longer term)

Complications of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants in Children

Blood and bone marrow transplants significantly impact the immune system which increases the risk for infections and other complications that can be severe and life-threatening. It can take months or years for the immune system to recover entirely, so close monitoring is crucial.

At the Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, we have the preventive measures, medicines, innovative medical therapies and support programs in place to help your child and family manage and treat possible issues after a transplant, including:

If you see information that needs updating or if you encounter a missing page or link, please let us know.
To request an appointment, please contact us by phone.

If this is a medical emergency or if you have an urgent health-related question, please call 911
or contact your local emergency number.

Please do not submit personal medical information through this form. We cannot offer medical advice online.
We won’t use contact information you provide on this form for marketing or solicitation purposes.
Thank you for helping us.